Busted!
by xYama-chanx
Summary: Tenten has long given up on boys since...after Rock Lee dumped her. Now a certain Hyuuga tries to gain her trust, but the pain and agony of how 'playboys will always be playboys' is expressed in this short one-shot fic. NejiTen, NejiXOC...? R&R...
1. Boys and Games

** This is a rather short one-shot fic...NejiTen, but all about how a girl gets hurt. T-T. Copied this from 'Candy Mags' and decided to put in Naruto instead, and well, it rather turned out good. Please R&R!! ^-^. Thanks!! (Has a little bit of SasuSaku, as you can see from the beginning! :)  
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**Sakura's POV: **

Curious thing, how it started.

Tenten and I were out in the hallway one morning, on our way to the ladies' room when we saw Neji and Sasuke approaching us from the gym. About to cross paths, I blew the Uchiha a kiss which he pretended to catch (sorry, it's this thing we do), while Neji and Tenten acknowledged each other with small nods.

It wasn't one minute after our backs were turned when I heard a loud crash

Looking back, I saw that Neji had toppled over a giant trash can. I covered my mouth with my hand to stifle a shriek. This could only mean one thing!

" He was checking out Tenten!" Ino agreed. " I can't believe the Hyuuga's into you!" –"What's so u-unbelievable a-about it?," Hinata, Neji's cousin, asked. " Ever since y-you b-beat him at b-basketball, he's b-been looking at you l-like he's never

s-seen you before. It's a-all m-making s-sense now."

We stared at her with wide eyes. That was the first time we heard our shy friend speak out to us for that long! But, Tenten disagreed with us. " What are you talking about, Hinata? He's always spaced out when he's looking at me. And besides, Neji is such a ladies' man. He'll go after anyone with a skirt!"

She had a point. But as the weeks went on, we were less and less sure that Neji was just playing Tenten. In fact, we spent the next few weeks debating whether or not he liked her.

If he did, he sure changed his ego completely! Gone was the smooth, serious Neji who knew all the right things to say. In his place was someone who knocked things over, tripped over his own shoes and mumbled whenever Tenten was around.

Unlike before, Neji would profusely flatter every girl, this time, he'd casually pass food to Tenten first, ask her how she was going home before asking anyone else, and text only her with a question meant for all of us. He was acting so strange that Naruto and Shikamaru started to tease him about being ill.

" Do you even like him?," we asked Tenten a dozen times. She let out a sigh. " Assuming he likes me, and I really believe he doesn't, I'm just not…comfortable with this reputation," she chose her words carefully. " I mean, how many girls has he dated in our school alone?!"

" About four," answered Ino thoughtlessly. " No, five!," she corrected herself.

" That's in the last two years." Tenten made a face and I understood her reservation.

Not too many years ago, there was her 'summer guy', Rock Lee.

At first, typical Tenten resisted all of his advances. But this guy was tenacious, and she soon warmed up to him. Just as she was about to say yes-poof! He vanished. One month later, Tenten saw him canoodling with another girl at our coffee hang-out.

But something about the way Neji was acting made me think twice about writing him off. Once, after seeing _Casanova_, we got into a heated discussion about whether skirt-chasers will always be skirt-chasers. It ended when the Hyuuga forcefully said,

" People change, you know."

Tenten must've seen the change too, because after weeks of being 'tentatively' asked out, she finally agreed to dinner-with Hinata in tow. Later that night, I, Sakura Haruno, called Tenten to get the dish on the date. She picked up after several rings, and I could hear whimpering in the background. Uh-oh. Not good not good not good.

" So…how was it?," I slowly asked, careful not to pull it all out. The whimpers soon turned into quiet sobs as I pictured Tenten crying in Hinata's arms. " It didn't happen. We left soon after getting there," Ino replied in a tone too glum to listen to.

She hesitated, and I heard Tenten shout, " Cheater, Hyuuga bastard!," back into Hinata. The crying soon continued. " We…saw…Neji….," Ino replied very slowly, I was dying to hear her answer.

" With another girl…."

She hung up, and I set the phone on the table. Staring into space, I let out a cry, letting Ino's words sink in. It was totally all our fault, and we knew that Tenten would never trust a boy ever…again.

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** Awww....*sniff sniff*now Tenten's trust has totally disappeared! It is complete, but if you want me to continue it because it's good enough, that's fine with me! (I love NejiTen too! ^-^) Read and review!! Lots of candy- xYama-chanx +)**


	2. A Tantrum for Truth

**Yayz! Chapter Two is here! Thank you for the reviews^-^. I just had to make this because Riz-I said it would **_**kill**_** her if I left this…uncontinued! 0. So, please read and review (Oh, and it wouldn't even make sense if the truth wasn't discovered. Thanks too, Panda-chan for reminding me.) Yeah, even poor Neji's good enough to apologize, no? Enjoy!**

**xYama-chanx^-^!!!**

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The next day, it was completely utter torture for Tenten. The morning slipped by easily without her making any notice to the Hyuuga. I was completely worried sick. Might she take an attempt at suicide? Well, no...but due to her second pain, being cheated on behind her back, I figured it was the last straw. Like I said, she would never trust a boy ever again.

Tenten and I made our way to the cafeteria for a short snack. Classes were surprisingly short today, because the Press Conference from Sunagakure was interviewing our school...and we were now in the midst of RAD tests...Reading Assessment Development.

We both hated this period...actually Neji's cousin and Yamanaka really disliked this, too. The intense practicing at oral comprehension...ooh, it made my stomach churn at the immediate mention of it. And Hinata had obsessive problems, such as her stuttering.

Tenten looked really bad today, it seemed she was starting to have issues. Gone was the bright, curious sparkling in her eyes. The cheeky red color from her face drained. Her happy, fun, tomboy-ish self now disappeared, and...is it just me, or was the brown shade in her hair starting to diminish as well?

Yet she wouldn't eat, sometimes skipped classes, and completely ignored Neji. Ugh, this relationship took a horrible start. I remembered yesterday...the painful call to get the information out of the date was an ugly idea!

We sat a table unfortunately near Neji and his comrades. I noticed Tenten picking at her food, piercing a red tomato to the core until the juice oozed out. I grimaced. She had a horrible idea of revenge at work...I could feel it.

" Darn that Hyuuga! He should feel ashamed of himself! Rambling with another girl at the restaurant, behind my back?! Now, that's just great!,"she shrieked, piercing the poor tomato right until it was reduced to nothing but a sour red pulp. Her mashed potatoes were molded into a ball, and she took it, with shaky hands-

" No! Drop it, Tenten!," I barged, suddenly realizing what she was about to do. I held down her hand, struggling to make her unleash the grasp on the mashed potatoes. She was about to throw it at the back of a talking Neji's head.

Hinata and Ino came running our way, with a look much more worried than mine. They gave me assistance at holding back an angst Tenten. Her eyes were now stinging with uncontrollable tears. The pain was really intense, it was like I can feel it...she still pierced her eyes at the Hyuuga.

The Uchiha and Nara turned to our attention, with a suddenly strangled look on their faces. " Neji...you have really done it!," Naruto mentioned, who followed their gaze to our situation, and, for once, he stopped eating the ramen that was almost consumed. Most of the people in the cafeteria also started shifting attention to us.

Ino was in total concentration. She tried hard to resist Tenten's flailing arms, her eyes shut tight. Hinata was grasping her around the waist, advising her to please stop in the most comforting way she can manage.

Neji stood up from his chair, an anxious look in his eyes. He finally knew what he'd done...the hurt he caused her last night. Sasuke and Shikamaru rushed to our side first, also assisting by showering Tenten with a load of reassuring says." LEAVE ME ALONE!!!," she sobbed, threatening to throw the food again.

I managed to catch some words,'apologize' and 'unconvinced', but the rest were inaudible. Sasuke rushed to my side, and I heard him ask me, " What happened anyway, Haruno? It's like she has horrible tantrums..."

I slapped him hard on the arm, warning him to take back what he just said about my poor friend. " Trust me, you don't want to know!," I shouted back at the Uchiha. He nodded, still unsure, with a frightened expression in his eyes.

Shikamaru might've asked the same thing, because I suddenly spotted Ino smacking him...hard...this time at the back of his head. Rubbing it, he nodded. Well, seems the message was now understood.

Uzumaki caught up to us, Hinata asking him to help her. Confused, he nodded, but still did nothing. I decided to knock the stone into the sand. "Naruto! Tenten has this tantrum right now. Help us stop her, you twit!," I screamed, applying more pressure to her feet as they tried to escape our grasp.

We now looked like a rather enigmatic scene, because we...well...attracted the attention of the whole cafeteria, even Ayame, the lunch lady. Tenten, right at this moment, seemed she was about to burst with fury...and we poorly tried to prevent it from happening.

Neji finally approached an extremely angst Tenten, whose hand was ready to ruin his face with the mashed potatoes. Kneeling in front of her, he looked up into her fierce, burning eyes. I immediately read an apology in his expression.

" Tenten, I-," he started, but paused, still thinking about the words he was going to spill next. We were really tired out now, rubbed off from holding her back...her tantrums at Boy Cheating was utterly surprising. Completely different from _baby_ tantrums. " Just do it now, Hyuuga! She's longing for your so-called _Cheating-behind-her-back_ apology!," Naruto yelled at him."

The crowd drew in gasps, as we glared at him with daggers in our faces. " You idiot!," I spat, ready to snap his neck in half once we were over this mess. " I needed to tell Neji sometime!," Naruto replied, looking kind of guilty just in what emerged.

" I didn't mean for you to see me canoodling with this so-called girl-," Neji tried to explain, his hands now tied around Tenten's. She was shaking her hand in a gesture for him to let go. He wouldn't. His grip was tight.

" Liar!! Rock Lee, my old boyfriend, dumped me years ago after I also caught him with this no-good charming woman! AND HE PROMISED!!," Tenten continued screaming, full tears now streaming down her face. I extremely felt sorry for all she was going through right now.

" I know...," he still explained, trying hard to keep his calm. We really made something right...but still Tsunade-sama was busy with the meeting. Ino was extremely tired out to take this anymore.

Her blue eyes slowly slid shut, and to our horror, she fainted as she let go of Tenten's arms, her body crashing onto the floor as I saw the blond flicker of her hair disappear behind a chair. I heard Hinata scream," I-Ino!"

" Yamanaka!," Shikamaru yelled, instantly grabbing hold of her limp body and flinging one arm over his shoulder. He gave us one last worried look, before dashing off to the School Nurse office. The crowd parted, giving way to them.

Neji seemed exhausted, and he glanced at us, which we read his face immediately. Nodding, we let go, and Tenten shook us off, pleased. I slumped into a chair, ready to pass out. Supporting myself, Sasuke gave me a glass of water, patting my back and comforting me.

To our right, I saw Hinata slowly take a grasp of the table, sinking into a vacant stool as she buried her head into her arms, clearly full of fatigue. Naruto _still _didn't seem to notice. Silly Uzumaki!

Ahead of us, I couldn't help but watch as Tenten zoomed her way to the Hyuuga, armed, her face flashing with fury.

We covered our eyes, and I heard a scream , soon followed by a loud SPLAT! on the cafeteria floor.

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I slowly opened my vision to the scene. Tenten's wrist was held by Neji's strong hand, and it looked slimy. Following my gaze to the trail, soon enough, I spotted the ruined ball of mashed potatoes a foot away from where Tenten was standing.

The Hyuuga stared at her with an unreadable expression. Finally, her face looked shocked, and it was no longer wearing the angry blaze she had earlier. Whew, that was a hard time.

Tenten locked her gaze to his face, as his lips parted once more. " Listen to me...," Neji whispered, slipping a hand under her chin. " The girl you saw me with was just a friend-,"

"What? How do I know you're not lying for sure?!," Tenten yelled at him, but her body stayed in position. We all tensed behind them as I put a hand to my...rather huge forehead. Neji turned his head to the crowd. " Come out now. Please...," he announced.

A sudden movement rippled through the vast sea of people as they parted, ready to reveal the girl whom Tenten thought was cheating with Neji. And we poured over the time. 10:30...almost back to classes.

Tenten turned to the woman, and she managed to slip out one last syllable," H-H...," before instantly blacking out onto the solid cafeteria floor.

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**Eeez...that was a fairly good chappie. I guess all you guys still want to know who the girl is...but I'm afraid you have to wait until Chapter 3 next week...oh, and don't kill me, please!! T-T. I hope you enjoyed this part...and I will soon reveal Neji's true feelings for Tenten soon!!**

**Please review!! ^-^. Thank you so much! xYama-chanx  
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	3. Apologies and a Sprained Ankle

**Hi!!! I guess all of you were waiting extreme for Chapter 3. Now it has arrived! Secrets and major couples will be revealed very soon. Please read and review! I've been dying to resume my work on this fic too. Thankies!! =). **

**xYama-chanx P.S. Chapter Four will be updated next week! ^-^...oh, and wish me luck for my basketball game tomorrow-vs. SPX!!!**

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** Tenten's POV:**

_Pitch black. I hear dropping water...is that a faucet running?_

_Ooh, that was unbelievably cold. I feel so sore around my body. The pain is searing from my spine, all the way to my head. _

_I can't seem to open my eyes. Are they stuck together? My blood flow seemed to lower. I'm stinging ..._

_Oh yeah, Neji. That freaking Hyuuga...you got me into this mess. _

_And who was that girl? Unfortunately, I fainted, so I didn't get to see a glimpse of her face._

_It's like all my memory is slowly draining out of my brain through my ears. But I remember that horrible tantrum I just threw-was that minutes ago?_

_Yeah, whatever.  
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_Ugh, I just hope this ends. . . . . . . . . . . . . _

_Soon._

I gasped, sitting up suddenly and reaching for something to grab on. For a moment, I felt like I was going to fall...ooohhhh, my headache-and my body is like a human torture cell. I can't feel my legs. There's an extremely strong piercing sensation in my eyes. I blinked hard and looked up.

The bright light blinded me for a second, but I was fully aware of a solid figure hovering in the surroundings in front of me. All of this was enigmatic, but now my vision cleared. I spotted lines of pink hair forming quickly. It was Sakura. Her green emerald eyes were my focus.

" Oh my gosh! Tenten, you're awake!," she suddenly squealed, flinging her arms around me and squeezing like I was unconscious for a long time ...far from dead.

Breaking away, she laughed. I smiled, glad to finally hear a touch of joy for once in my life. " You were out cold for 2 hours already. And I was so worried that I skipped Home Economics and Social Studies...well...just to be with my best friend," she explained, looking at me and holding my hand.

" Thank you, Sakura. I'm so thankful to have a friend like you, too." I winced a little bit, to find out that I sprained my ankle. Great.

Sakura moved her eyes to my leg and back again. " Well, when Neji brought you in here, the school nurse discovered that you slightly sprained it, due to the fact that you fainted in front of the girl...um, I didn't really catch her name-",

" N-Neji?," I breathed. He carried me here after I blacked out. I couldn't believe that. He-left me...right?

Sakura must've known what I was thinking, because she gave me a sad smile. " Neji wanted me to tell you...that he was really, really sorry for making you feel this way. He knew how hard it was for you to move on without Lee."

I glanced at the clock. Ten minutes before 1. I really can't contain myself, that without warning, I burst into tears. Uncontrollable sobs. My heart ached. Neji really did care about me. And I pushed him away!

Sakura just sat there, an expression of pity in her eyes. The noise of my cries filled the room.

" Tenten, are you okay to go, even though your ankle is sprained?," she asked me, standing up and slowly grabbing her bag. " I'll help you."

Wiping my tears off my face, I nodded, and looked around for my bag. I still felt weary. Maybe I underestimated boys and their ways a bit too much. I wondered where he was now. Probably off somewhere thinking about my feelings...I should apologize to him soon.

Sakura took hold of my arm, and supported me as I carefully crawled my way out of the bed. My ankle felt better now. " How about taking you to lunch? You hardly even ate anything for the last two days!," she said, laughing.

I giggled. " Sure, I'm starving. Depression must've worn me out-and it's tired of taking over now." Sakura crooked her head in my direction and smiled warmly. " Don't worry, Tenten, it'll all get better in time."

I nodded in agreement, and so, we both exited the nurse' headquarters and continued our way to--the cafeteria!

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Not that much pressure was felt after that scary scenario. I felt comfortable. And so sorry for causing the pass-out of Ino. Oh, yeah! How was she, I should ask.

Sakura and I picked out a seat close to the emergency exit, and I slid in. Sighing, I brought a yummy piece of mashed potato to my mouth-and finally chewed the delectable stuff I can't believe I almost tried to smother Neji with. The thought brought laughter to my lips.

" So, did you hear from Ino? I'm very sorry for being the reason she fainted. Is she okay?." Seriously, I was concerned with her condition. Sakura glanced at me while taking a bite out of her noodles.

" Yeah. She was just too weak with all the problems she's been going through. Nara took care of her with the school nurse too. Actually, she was right beside you, except she left earlier. You were still unconscious." I nodded hard, letting my brown tresses bounce.

" Oh, speaking of Nara, Neji and the others should be coming soon," Sakura added, then sipping from her juice. And yes, they have arrived. To tell you the truth, I was unexplicably happy.

To my right, I spotted Ino dragging her way to another table. She seemed-well, fine. And her ocean blue eyes were as alive as I've known them. The sight of her striking blonde hair felt like home again.

" Ino! Sit here with us!," I shouted, gesturing for her to come over. As she turned, her face lit up when she saw me. Running to the both of us with a tray in hand, she plopped down and hugged me tight.

" Oh, Tenten. I've missed you-even though you weren't in two classes. How's your ankle feeling?," she asked me, up and alive with energy. I moved my leg. " Alright, I guess. Ino, I really apologize for tiring you and Hinata out. I mean, my tantrums are completely different when it comes to boys."

I turned away, a little bit sad and sure that she'd scream at me. But she didn't. " You fainted. That's worse enough, right?," I murmured, when Ino still didn't say anything bad.

"No, Tenten, it's not your fault. Well, I was fatigued for a while, but-all I know is that it's not you, okay? Don't worry about it." She grinned wide. I did the same. Later, Hinata came strolling by to our table. " T-ten-ten, you're o-okay. I-I'm glad to h-hear it!," she told me rather excitedly. Her white-lavender orbs gazed into mine with curiosity.

" Hinata, I'm sorry...,"

" No, t-that's f-fine. Ino and I-I talked about it in S-Science. N-Neji wanted to talk to you after s-school," she explained in her usual tinny voice. " A-after school?," I asked her again, unsure. "Y-yes," Hinata answered, her raven hair bouncing.

Sakura winked at me. " Come on, Tenten, Neji could have something in store for you!," she squealed, pushing me to meet him. I knew that they were looking at Neji, who was right behind me, and I didn't dare approach him after my embarrassing situation.

I did overhear Uchiha and Uzumaki's voices, along with Shikamaru's, but I did not care. Nothing would make me go to him.

" Cousin d-did say something a-about b-buying you a-a-",

"SHHHHHHHHH!," Sakura and Ino shushed her immediately. I cocked an eyebrow. I couldn't quite catch that. " Huh?," I asked them, confused.

" Oh, it's _nothing_, I'm sure. Just something about using smelly shampoo and all those-_useless_-stuff!," Yamanaka tried her best to lie. She was picking her food already. Seemed more excited.

"Well, okay, If you must." I saw Sakura sneak a glance at her, then back. " We'll discuss this matter after Math. Kakashi-sensei'll kill us if we don't listen. Just...please, please think about it carefully, okay, Tenten?," they asked me, pleading. The bell rang right at that moment.

Good timing. " See you in Math, Tenten!," Hinata and Ino called to us, right before dropping off their food trays and disappearing. Sakura and I stood up, disposed our trash, and made our way to Math.

I felt tense, because Neji and his dudes were--yup--right behind me. Sakura squeezed my arm. " No pressure, Tenten. Remember, after school!" Although I already knew what she was saying, I was still unsure. Many questions lingered and faded in various parts of my mind.

" Oh, Tenten's regained consciousness, I see!," Naruto yelled. Flinching, I tried to ignore them, but my curiosity got the better of me. Though we were still walking down the hallways to class, I couldn't help it. Know me as 'Thinking-of-others-opinions-to-toes-Tenten.'

" She was kind of cold when I touched her," Neji added. I blushed, but I kept my view in front. Sakura kept stealing glances at me, telling me to 'stay calm.' Yeah, right. How could I?

" I'm telling you, she's unique and different, Hyuuga. How can you hurt a chick like her?" That was Sasuke, because of the way he phrased 'Hyuuga', and his deep, velvety voice.

" I did not hurt her, Uchiha. And stay out of this. Hokura was just someone I needed to talk to," he snarled, annoyed. I could tell.

" Oh, suuuure, Neji. Hokura's just another girl in your life, man! Troublesome these days." Hm, Nara. There was 'troublesome' in a sentence.

Hokura. Oh. His so-called girl. " I was going to meet Tenten, but when I turned around she was gone. I'm telling you, you're mistaken. I was just discussing important matters between Hokura and her financial troubles," Neji further explained.

" I still don't get it," Naruto pouted. The boys just 'shs-ed' themselves out of existence from the idiot. " What?," I heard him ask. Finally, we rounded Room 103 for Mathematics 10 with Mr. Kakashi Hatake. Hmph.

Sakura thumbed-up at me, probably because I managed to keep myself the whole way.

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We did see Ino and Hinata a few rows behind me and Sakura. Sasuke and Neji were at the far left, while Naruto and Shikamaru ended up sitting in the far right. The rest was packed with Shino, Kiba, Sai, Karin, and other people.

" Welcome class. Can anybody tell me where we left off last time?" As usual, Uchiha and Neji's hands shot up. But I declared that Kakashi-sensei wanted someone else.

" Uzumaki, how about you?," he shot at him. Naruto looked up, wracking his brains for the answer. We all stared, waiting.

" M-mean and median?," he struggled to answer. Fortunately, it was right. " Correct, Naruto. And I do expect you to raise your hand in class more." Naruto, relieved, slumped back in his chair. Though he didn't show it, I knew he was proud of himself.

" Mean, median, and mode are three kinds of averages." He wrote a list of numbers on the board. We all watched silently as the clack of chalk scraped the silence.

" One plus four plus three plus seven...divided by four, equals four-teen-huh?," I thought to myself. I sighed deeply. This was going to be one confusing, long, weird math class.

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** Yayz!!! Finally finished. Chapter Four will be up soon. Oh, and can't wait for Neji's 'apology' with Tenten after school! ^-^. So excited! Please review! I'll also post Ch. 2 of Could It Be! Was this chapter better than the second or first? Just tell me! I'll be happy to continue this all the time! And Hokura is just my own OC. You'll know her more really soon!!! ^-^. Thanks you so much!**

** xYama-chanx  
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	4. Hokura Hyuuga

**Hi, everyone! I'm back from school, and before I do any homework--^_'--I wanted to update Chapter Four!!! Excited? Thank you so much :D ^_^. So, please read and review! Valentines' Day was a blast! Was yours? Hope so! 3. Thankies again for waiting--was busy with various schoolwork this semester. Ugh, I hate it, but we have to take it! GRRRRR....have to _study!_  
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** Okay, Hokura's train is chugging in...see you in Chapter 5, and enjoy NejiTen! ^_^, xYama-chanx**

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** Tenten's POV:**

I walked out of Home Economics in a sluggish mood. I was _bored, drained, exhausted_! Why, you ask? Well, we seriously had to discover new matters of how creating a perfect Tiramisu Cake was a 'delightful, calming' dessert to the mind.

On Anko-sensei's opinion, tch! I smothered myself in egg white batter after the 'baking' soda I used turned to be the wrong mix in the cake. SPLURT, went the cake, and I made a total 'dessert' of myself. Talk about extreme irky situations. Naruto lead all the laughter, of course, being his stupid, self-centered ego.

Ino and I decided to go to the lavatory, to get me cleaned off. Eruptions blasted when I saw my image in the mirror. Bits and pieces of cake stuck to my blouse, and my green school uniform skirt was smudged in caramel syrup, and--unfortunately,--coffee. Ugh, the stench of it was sickening.

The rest of the egg batter was spread over my tresses, and I felt some excess of the stuff drip onto my cheeks and down. Ew. Ino stifled a little giggle, but it wasn't funny.

" That's fine, Tenten, don't worry about that. We'll wipe off the cream first," Yamanaka advised as she ripped off a piece of paper from the dispensing machine and wet it in warm water. I did the same, dabbing the spots of mess until they were faint. Good enough.

Ino wiped my cheeks. She grinned casually. " Problems like these, haha, dessert accidents, don't really matter, it's not like Neji would ignore you or anything-"

I tensed, my skin crawling and eventually heating up as Yamanaka continued to fix my appearance. " Oh. My. I just remembered. Wasn't Hyuuga supposed to meet me after school?," I asked quickly, taking the paper towel away and shaking my hair free of the sticky cream. There, perfect.

Ino stared at me, partly satisfied. " Yeah, I remember too." She seemed excited for me. Why? I was suddenly suspicious about this whole meet-Neji-after-school thing. Was this a plan? Oh, no, I don't think so. I am not supposed to act like I do not trust my best friends, especially Sakura...

My blonde-haired friend took her bag and started zipping up. She still had that scary smile etched on her dainty face. I narrowed my eyes.  
"Hey, don't tell me what that was all about, I have no clue! Promise," Ino oathed, raising up one arm for honesty. I laughed lightly. To admit, being Yamanaka was as if the whole world bent on your only existence.

" Now come on, we only have ten minutes left for our next English class," she rang out to me, as I sighed, flinging my own knapsack over my shoulder and following her out into the hallway. Ugh, _English, _a.k.a. _Language Arts. _

I could not wait until seeing Sakura, but I really disliked this class. Asuma-sensei was a straight-forward, cigarette-smoking teacher who made us write hundreds of Essay Structures and all that. Ugh again, yes. I shook my head. This was going to be a rather long extinctive day.

I kept watching Ino as she strutted, her hips swaying side to side in the most 'model'-like way she could create. Yamanaka's blonde hair added flair to her 'walk.' She was really beautiful, so I had no idea why none of the men were attracted to her...aside that Nara is an exception.

Well, you see, she was stamped as one of the most fashionable ladies in our class when it came to extended Dress-Down Days. You know, adorning casual petite clothing and heading to school in the attire for either a special occasion or something. Pretty interesting, huh?

Enough of my useless babble. So Ino and I kept walking, bags over our backs and gluing our stares to Room 106, all the while we ignored other students preparing themselves for the next period, as usual. Touching my hair with a soft pat, I was sure it was now all fixed up and dry. At least my dainty brown buns were tied tightly. Okay, Language Arts, here we come...

_**Twenty minutes later...**_

There was an atmosphere of total silence and evident boredom as the teacher in front continuously drabbled on and on about Essay structures, all the while dotting point-form tips. We were exhausted. Urgh, Asuma-sensei, give us a break!

I looked around after lifting my head from my comfortable 'pillow' arms. Yamanaka had her arms bent on the desk, her face buried in them. Blonde hair snaked down from her face right to her back. Behind her, Shikamaru was sound asleep, eyes closed and snoring half a minute later.

To my right, Uzumaki and Uchiha were staring at the board, but they obviously were tired out, too. We all had our L.A. binders open and ready to write, but it never came to our senses of copying down what Asuma-sensei explained. Sasuke had his back perched on the chair's supporter, still giving the front a hard, blank look.

Naruto was busy twirling a disgustedly chewed- up pencil on his desk. His blue cerulean eyes reflected tiredness and sleepy emotions right after he scratched his neck for a brief moment. He yawned silently, then resumed his little stupid hobby. I shifted my eyes to the far left.

There was Sakura. I saw some strands of her pink hair stick out from a view of some dozing-off or lazy students. She had her face resting on her elbow while she actually cared of writing down the L.A. notes. She spotted me watching her, then she smiled back at me, waving, then returning to her task.

Well, it kind-of made sense to me--there was nothing else to do. Sleeping in class might just get you in trouble, I was sure. So, I lazily and slowly opened my black-green binder; the shiny, lined, blank papers awoke my conscience slightly. I blinked my brown eyes briefly.

Picking up my pencil next, I strayed my eyes to the notes on the board. Asuma-sensei was no longer lecturing, but jotting down more tips. Well, good enough. But, just before I decided to do this, I looked around one last time.

Lee was busy scrawling out the notes on a messy, unorganized notepad. His tongue stuck out at the side of his mouth in concentration. Ew, yucky enough. Shrugging him off, I moved my view to the desk beside him. Oops, wrong move...

There I saw Hyuuga, his white orbs started to drift slowly away from the open windows, to the board, then back again. Ahem, I could tell--he was straining to keep himself awake in this period of the worst laziness ever. Paradise for Nara, then.

A familiar feeling started to bubble in the pit of my stomach when I laid my eyes on him. Oh yes...the 'Would-you-meet-me-after-school' plan. Earlier this class Neji was paying attention to me more that it was creepy, so I never looked at him after that, but now. I don't know.

The Hyuuga caught me staring at him, and his mouth slowly turned up into a smirk. Slightly feeling warm, I narrowed my eyes. " What are you looking at, Neji!?," I whispered to him, a li-ttle bit angry. From the corner of my eye, I saw Hinata in her usual position; arms folded in front of her while her white eyes bounced everywhere for the sake of nothing to do.

Sighing deeply, I thought, " Seriously, what could get better than this rather epic experience?." Ah, well-never mind, excuse me. I huffed and turned my beautiful head away from the Hyuuga. But then, I felt his hand on my shoulder.

Suddenly, a spark crawled through my skin, as if it was charged with electricity. Turning around again, I looked up into Neji's irresistible eyes. Oh--wait... Looking around a little bit more, I now found Haruno and Yamanaka with their eyes wide open suddenly. Ugh, they were actually interested in my 'mini-problem'? Psh, this is unbelievable.

" Tenten," he whispered to me, still staring. I bobbed my head as a sign I heard him. It's rude to ignore a man. From my right, I heard some slight movement in the desks. Oh, I knew what that was...Sakura and Ino were leaning closer to get the scoop. Evil blabbermouths!

Right there at the moment, Uchiha and Uzumaki were observing us, unfortunately with no clue. Shikamaru, as always, was oblivious to the surrounding happenings for he was still taking a nap.

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(**A/N: Oh my gosh, I actually remembered: It was hilarious! During our music class my crush, who sat beside me then, fell asleep in the middle of the teachers' lecture. We were all like," Omg, is he sleeping? Nudge him, Anne!," they asked me. Well, I didn't want to. He did listen at the start but when he woke up**, **he was all like," What happened? Wha-I fell asleep?! Oh, I'm sorry Mrs. Grois!." Our teacher found him sleeping after a looong time and she told us," Be quiet in getting your music books. Go." And she actually played along with us! She didn't notice at first too! We were laughing silently like total maniacs.  
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** LOL. Now he's known as the 'napper'. He told me he just fell asleep for no reason. Well, there was a point, because we were all dead-bored after the music tape-recording. He asked me about everything! Ahaha, his cute eyes--And he told me, " My mom doesn't know. This is my first time falling asleep. I do not hate Mrs. Grois' class, okay?" LOL xD memories !****I was laughing so hard he told me," Shut up," in an embarassed way. **** Well that's enough--back to the story! ^_^)**

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**I still kept my gaze locked on the Hyuuga. Seemed like he was going to tell me the question--

_ " Can you meet me after school today..........?"_ W-what? I slowly took in what he just said. It was all going in slow motion. Shikamaru rose his head from his usual 'nap' and looked at us with piercing brown eyes. Also, Sakura and Ino were_ jumping_--yes, jumping--up from their desks in anticipation, so slow as if, in my eyes, time has turned to the speed of molasses.

Sasuke and Naruto gaped at the two of us. I was blushing as red as a cherry now. Neji gulped slightly, just licking his lips after that unexpected moment. "So, will you?," he whispered once again, but releasing his grip on my shoulder.

I nodded quickly, unaware. " Thank you Tenten. You don't know how much this means to me. I'm sorry...," he added last, breaking away from me and slipping into his seat. Blinking hard, I strayed my view to my best friends. They wore wacky excited smiles on their faces. I fumed in embarrassment. I knew what would happen in the hallway after this.

My pink haired buddy had her arms perched way at the end of the desk, naturally smiling brightly at me and giving me a thumbs-up. Her green emerald orbs sparkled in excitement. I sighed--again. Hinata spotted me, and was grinning in her shy way. Well, instead I smiled back, faking my anger which was starting to give a path up my throat.

Yamanaka was now scribbling fast on a dark blue piece of paper. Asuma-sensei, I cannot believe--was STILL writing hundreds of these useless tips up and down the board. I shook my head in disbelief. Oh my goodness, is our teacher as clueless as they said he was? Ugh!

Ino, with her lips pursed in concentration, wrapped up her note with a flourish and threw it at me. Whoops, I almost missed. Good call too, because 'the' Aburame Shino was an expert at catching the sudden movement of 'forbidden' note passing. Haha. Looking over, Yamanaka was gesturing to me wildy to open it.

The note was neatly folded in an airplane-ish matter, and so I worked in prying open the blue piece of paper. In my surprise, it was written in huge, glittering gold capital letters:

_GO AND--KISS HIM!_

_ Neji and Tenten sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I...._

I slammed the note closed, dropping my jaw open and not even daring to finish reading the last two letters of that note. Blushing madly, I looked up and waved it in front of Ino's view. " What?! Are you insane?!," I whispered loudly enough for her to hear. Ino just nodded her head in utter excitement once again and mouthed to me, a hand shielding the sound.

" After you meet him outside in school!," she added, her ocean sky-blue eyes glittering in amusement and mischief. So, I just admitted defeat--for now. Yamanaka and Haruno's unstoppable schemes always seemed to have an effect on me. Alright, be strong, Tenten, I thought angrily.

Swiveling my head to the least of glances, Sasuke and Naruto were watching me, eyes wide open at what they just saw. I smiled shyly at them, scratching my neck with the tip of my thumb. " Hehehe--that was nothing...," I lied, still grinning sheepishly as if, psh, they didn't know what was going on.

I needed to see Hinata's reaction. Her white-lavender orbs lit up after that little moment. She raised her hand slowly and gave me a brief thumbs-up. " Yeah right," I sighed under my breath. Now there was no escaping the 'Wrath of Neji'--if that's what you'd call it.

Grabbing my pen, I scribbled down the notes on the board hard, not bothering to spare that darned Hyuuga a look, who I knew was now smirking in the biggest way you can imagine even though I could not see it.

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**_Again--fifteen minutes later..._**

" Hai, Tenten nii-san!," a small, dainty voice called from behind me in the hallway. I spun around after slamming my locker shut to meet the eyes of a gorgeous lady in front of me.

She was about my size, but was wearing 3-inch heels on her black puff flats. Her eyes were a dazzling white--just like Neji's. Her forehead just about met my eyebrow line, and speaking of eyebrows, I cocked one up in confusion at the girl.

Her hair was half-dyed in brown and most of it were silky black. Bangs like Hinata's hung over her eyes, but the ones by her ears were longer than hers. As usual, she was wearing the school uniform. Her arms braced around what looked like endless bags of books and binders. Whoo, I thought, she must be a homework geek.

Other students that passed by were mostly taking attention to the girl I did not know--but something at the edge of my subconscious was starting to awake--as if I've seen her before...

" Hello," I greeted her rather politely. " Oh, I must say, you look so much prettier in person as he said you were," she complimented, arms folding behind her back in shyness. She was polite. I smiled a little at this. " Why thank you." _He?_ Wait, who sent her to me? At dismissal time in school? I must proceed with caution, for this could be a trap.

Oh wait! How foolish of me! She's an innocent girl--or is she? What the heck... I blinked, shaking all these doubts out of my brain. But whoever she was, I hoped she was trustworthy.

" By the way, my name's Hokura," she replied, extending an arm out. I hesitantly took it, taking in the sudden tingle of my skin from her touch. I stared directly at her. " Hok-who?," I thought once again, trying to pull myself together.

Ugh, I suddenly wished Ino and Sakura didn't LEAVE me alone. They did this because they wanted me to BE alone, so that the Hyuuga can, you know, take me somewhere for _something. _Oh, by the way, our Language Arts class has ended in total chaos.

We were all bored, and Asuma-sensei noticed that he couldn't take it anymore; students saying he was clueless and ignoring him and all...we weren't. For that, it caused him to throw a piece of chalk at each of us (fortunately he missed me. Haha. My brown hair was camouflaged with the wall).

I tried hard not to laugh when I saw Shikamaru's mouth full of the chalk. Poor Nara. He puked it all out during our last period break. Yamanaka was so concerned she left me with Haruno. Of course he had chalk in the first place--because he slept while snoring.

I was beat. Then, Tsunade-sama sent poor Uzumaki and Kiba--yeah, for no reason--to detention. Seemed like she was evidently tired and stressed, she needed to do something anyway. Also they were _the_ troublemakers of _the_ school. Tsk tsk.

Then it hit me. Neji and _her_ sitting in the table by themselves; the Hyuuga with his hands on _her _back and shoulders. It was Hokura. No wonder, because it was _her_ brown-black hair I saw from my blurry view due to my crying. Hinata, Ino and I turned around to leave immediately when Sakura called us. It was all clicking into place.

_ No! I cannot be her friend. She cheated on me with Neji. No! _

The said girl faced me with sad, white eyes, but I could tell that she tried hard to hide this emotion. She forced a cheery grin. " Why don't you come to the Konoha park with me? We could get ice cream. By the way, I am Neji nii-san's cousin-in-law."

My eyes widened. _Nii-san? Cousin-in-law_? No way....then why would they be going out--uh oh, I was mistaken after all. " Wait," I said, holding her arm. The pain I felt during that dreadful night was starting to rise, but I controlled it.

" Why didn't Hinata tell me about you?," I asked calmly, clearly confused. Hokura shook her head and giggled lightly, her black hair flowing. " Well, you see, I was just declared Neji's cousin-in-law by Uncle Hiashi two days ago; a weekend. Seems like Hinata nii-san did not know this for they went on a vacation," she explained to me.

I paused, taking in what she said. Vacation, Uncle Hiashi...oh! "So, it must've been that Hanabi's other relative or somewhat got married?," I asked her. Hokura nodded, amused at my antics. She laughed again. " Tenten nii-san, you are stubborn sometimes!," she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. But then her face grew troubled again.

" If you ever saw me with Neji nii-san, you misunderstood us. I am really sorry. You see, I had no idea that he scheduled a date with you. I talked to him about my financial hardships, on money. He was someone you could depend on. So we discussed together. I was crying that night because I was rather really depressed, and he comforted me, telling me options to improve my credit. I am really sorry, Tenten nii-san," Hokura explained, her head bent for forgiveness.

My face softened after that explanation. I was wrong after all. He was her cousin. Yes, I knew that the Hyuuga was someone else when it came to money. He also planned to become a businessman and was a complete whiz at math. Suppose I should give her another chance. If I didn't Neji would probably hate me. =P.

I stared at her, then I started to smile. She seemed like a really sweet girl. I placed a hand on her shoulder, then she raised her head and looked at me. " I forgive you, Hokura. I'm sorry too." She smiled and hugged me. " Thank you, Tenten nii-san, thank you so much," she whimpered, crying into my uniform now. Awww, what sensitive emotion.

The bell rang throughout the hallway at that moment. School was closing now. The students we saw earlier were now rushing, some slamming their lockers and scattering elsewhere with their homework. The noise slowly subsided. We should leave now ourselves.

" Come on, Hokura," I advised her, breaking away and walking alongside her. " Let's go to the park. I want to know more about you, new cousin," I exclaimed, smiling. She grinned at me back. " Thank you, Tenten nii-san. You are nicer than Neji nii-san told me!," she commented. I laughed. Neji was more than a man. He was humourous too.

The sun was starting to hide between a clump of clouds as birds flew in and out of the trees. We passed other people down the gravel road to the Konohagakure Park, where, I realized, a surprise was waiting for me.

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**I am finished! Awww, sweet chapter, eh? Yes, Hokura Hyuuga is someone you can watch out for in my future fanfics. ^_*. She's someone that would stay alive as my OC in Naruto's world. Yay! ^-^. Oh, and I know you can't wait for their meeting after school! =D. Eeeek, will they kiss? They might! This was a rather crazy chapter to write. I loved Shikamaru and Ino be involved in some situations. :P. It was really fun! Thank you so much for waiting. ^_^. I tell you, Chapter Five will be out next week. Spring Break! Hope you have a happy spring break too! Please review! Thank you so much again! :].**

** From, xYama-chanx  
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	5. Lovely Reunion

**Greetings, everyone! I do extremely hope that all of you had an excellent spring break, I assume! Well, April is quickly zipping past, so I decided to begin writing Chapter Five! ^-^ Yayz! :DD. Neji and Tenten are complete sweethearts, I couldn't possibly abandon them in my story and, like, leave them stale. Totally uncool. :P Lol. Anyways, enjoy! Please read and review. Thank you so much for waiting, I owe you practically everything for supporting this FF hit. Thank you, really! ^0^  
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** Fireworks, xYama-chanx**

** Yes, yes, and I know that very clearly maybe everyone has longed for me to change views!!**

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** Neji's POV:**

_She had accepted my invitation. Oh, what joy this has meant to me. She clearly has no idea! Bleh. Excuse my proper grammar, so...ahem._

_ I felt flabbergasted, really, at all these useless complaints people have been throwing in my direction for two seemingly endless weeks. For I had a problem--well, technically not a problem, but you get the point. Oh, I'll just save it for later...because a certain spiky blonde-haired idiot may suddenly creep up and trigger chaos, seriously. Ugh._

_ Anyways, as I was starting to rave on about, Tenten has become the light of my life. The core of the earth, the brightness of the dark night sky, the golden rays of the sun...and, I admit, it was fairly a pity for her to think about the idea of me and Hokura, my sometimes-misunderstood cousin in-law, dating._

_ Wouldn't it be kind of awkward? Yeah, it will. So, in spite of everything and my desire to confess that I was really sorry to Tenten, I arranged a 'meeting' at Konohagakure Park, a peaceful place in my opinion._

_ I set Hokura up to persuade Tenten and show her the truth behind this white lie that obscured our possible chances of love. I do hope she forgave me, so we could have ice-cream! Hehehe, that was a little bit childish, but who cares, alright? _

_ I was inexplicably dying to get a glimpse of Tenten again. Her wonderful brown tresses, her cute buns, the way her piercing brown eyes sparkled at the mention of anything that made her happy..._

_ I would, maybe, die for her. I felt strongly that she was mine, amidst all the previous tantrums and fights I don't even want to recall. *shudder*_

_ But it was funny, how her face would screw up in anger when she ever spotted me smirking at her. Ah, my favorite move. It seemed to catch every girl's interest for some reason, though. _

_ I wanted to laugh at every problem or possibly fear she had--okay, that was how guys were, okay? Don't blame us for an 'unfair' life. _

_And now, I'm sure, this was the moment whereas everything will start..._

I flicked a rather impatient glance behind my back. I was waiting, and where was Hokura? I'd kill her once she arrived...

Twirling the store-bought rose from the Yamanaka flower shop, I thought about all the possibilities that could happen. Tenten could: a) kick my butt, scream, and leave, b) accept my rose, then throw it at my face, stomping away after, or c) Hug me, tell me that she actually loved me back...

Honestly, some of these choices were bound not to happen. Waiting for Tenten suddenly seemed like a matter I won't get over with too easily--I know, it's my idea and all but--tsk, what was taking them so long?

Finally, my insides grew warmer, on fire and tingled across my skin in a deep sensation when I laid my eyes on her. There she was, skipping daintily along the gravel dirt road that now seemed like it would take forever for her to reach out and just--touch me for a change.

After all those weeks of avoiding me...

She gripped her bag in comfort, all the while chuckling and giggling in-between as she shared jokes, endless stories and tales with Hokura. Ah, how she looked exceptionally beautiful in my eyes today. Her brown orbs lit up at the mention of some common interests. I wonder how her day was.

Preparing myself, I shifted my feet swiftly, paving my way along to the free-spirited pair. Holding the rose just an inch from my back, I took especially great care in concealing it before 'the' moment. As on cue, she slowly lifted her head up and set slight daggers at me, but I kept going.

Taking deep breaths once in a while, Hokura nodded quickly as a sign that Tenten was probably ready to confront my presence. Suddenly, I wasn't sure if she would take it.

Tenten stood there, her feet glued to the ground. I caught a glimpse of her free hand fidgeting with the zipper on her beige sling bag. I could tell, she was nervous too. Well, we can both cope with these sudden emotions.

The wind gently crawled its' way passed us as I heard the faint movement of the leaves and felt a state of energy where I mustered up all my courage to do this now. The park was silent, and my cousin was standing a few feet away from Tenten, leaving us to our privacy.

As I approached closer, Tenten nearly seemed surprised at my immediate appearance, however it meant well--Hokura persuaded her and never mentioned me. She turned her head both sides, as if in doubt. I smiled slightly at her, expecting at least something in place of this nerving silence.

Then, in relief, her expression turned relaxed with a grin as she also made way towards me. I now felt whole, that there has never been a distance between us. I admit, I missed her dearly.

She picked up her pace and ran, as my eyes widened at this moment. Her uniform rippled along her body against the wind, a few pieces of her green clothing camouflaged with the background of the park.

Shifting my view quick, I spotted Hokura smiling in succession at her accomplishment. Everything was now cleared; all the impurities Tenten thought I embodied were, I hope, gone. Kaput.

As Tenten made her way towards me, I smiled gracefully at her; a rather unused expression for a long time since the incident of my 'other' girlfriend strangled me occasionally, making itself remembered after some unpleasant memories that lingered in my head.

Her brown eyes sparkled as she looked up at me, an expression of love and passion evident in her eyes. I admitted that I was happy. I was so thankful to be seeing Tenten in this gracious state of personality that I thought, was long gone since that day I don't even want to mention again.

" Tenten...," I whispered, as I wove my hands through her arms and held her to my chest, closing my eyes and letting this moment simmer joyful glee. She hesitated a little, but I felt her hug me back, her hands clutching onto the back of my shirt, and she let out a quiet cry.

The wind blew slightly stronger, as it passed us again, but with an essence impossible to explain. It seemed as if the realization of my successful plan was finally stitching up the pieces of my heart and her heart that were scattered everywhere to bits.

The foul and crude feelings that Tenten held against me once, faded and disappeared. Still holding the rose in one palm, I bent down and gently kissed the top of her head, with emotions of care and compassion also surging through me. Tenten was crying, not in sadness, but in relief and joy.

Glancing in various directions around the park, I wanted to just slip a loud chuckle, for Hokura was there miles behind us, whom I thought already LEFT us both to our privacy, crying along with the emotions of experiencing a moment of truth, or an example of beloved couples in the movies, confessing, reconciling, and loving once again. She raised one hand and wiped her eyes with a pink cotton handkerchief.

Now this was embarrassing! I had to drive her out of here. Using my other arm, I quickly gestured at my sensitive cousin to leave immediately. She nodded, smiling, then finally turned and stepped out the gates, waving back at me beforehand. Her dark raven hair consumed the space at the small of her back as she glided out, the wind seeming to follow her.

I sighed, closing my arms around Tenten again. This was a rather long hug now; longer than I've expected it to be. But I just let her hug me as she absorbed the emotions of seeing me in her head repeatedly.

Ah, really, I was especially glad that she has let me be an important part of her life again, such as a widow who's husband has been resurrected back to life--if that was possible.

Tenten slowly released her grip, breaking away from our passionate hug as she looked at me, her brown sparkling orbs gazing in a warm, familiar way. " N-Neji..." she whispered, her mouth turning up into a radiant smile. I stared back at her, feeling a sudden urge to--kiss her--right here. But I didn't know if I was ready though...

" Tenten, I am so grateful that you have forgiven me," I explained to her softly, as the atmosphere of the park slowly grew comforting. The green trees and grass waved in excitement with the dancing breeze, as the sky also seemed to rejoice at our reunion.

" Of course, it--did--take a while for me to recover from the sudden break-up," she replied, glancing down at her feet and clutching the front of my shirt. " I'm sorry...for everything...," she added carefully, turning her head to stare at me and smiling again.

Oh, her face made my hormones kick around crazily in my mind. I pursed my lips shut, resisting this first reaction. My forehead grew hot as I held the petite red rose in my hand. Slowly, nervously, I held it in front of Tenten's view, waiting impatiently for a response. She took it, smoothing the petals of the precious flower.

" Wha--Neji, you shouldn't have!," she said, surprised. At that moment, my cheeks felt warm. When she stared at me again--maybe the thousandth time--I wasn't even thinking, but...

I closed my eyes, as soon as I knew it. Bending down, I felt Tenten's breath approaching closer to my face. I leaned lower, hearing the sound of my heart beating rapidly in my chest, through my brain, in this event of surreal paradise. If this was leading to an actual kiss, I desired to feel what it really was...

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**Unbelievably ^O^. Thank you so much for waiting--ooh, will they FINALLY kiss in Chapter Six--and will everything click back into place? I hope so. ;) Watch out for more of our fellow couples, such as ShikaIno and SasuSaku in my next chappie update, which will hopefully be soon. Thank you so much once again, and please review! =DD This was an enjoyable chapter to make, I assure you! See you soon!  
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** Mini Eggs, xYama-chanx  
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	6. The Kiss and Morning Rush

**Oh my gosh, Hello everyone!! xYama-chanx is back, and after a rather fairly long absence from Fanfiction :P...please forgive me! ^_^. Haha, this must be my first update ever since I promised you all, so I greatly apologize for that. Anyways, the recent news of MJ's death spread as fast as lightning around the world, and apparently I became one of his hard-core fans--I remain as one, and I must admit, he was an absolute musical genius and child lover! Many songs of his I now treasure 3: BUT, I am STILL, obviously, a die-hard Naruto and N. Shippuuden fan, so I return to present you with Chapter 6 of Busted! Thank you so much for supporting my fics and hits! :DD. And remember: Any flashy or your own ideas for the developing plot of this fun NejiTen story, just message me and I'll do whatever I can to accommodate your needs. **

**This summer is, I guarantee you, forming into one of the best, and I'll update a lot of my chapters from my other fanfics--Michael Jackson took me away for 2 months :P. So, please enjoy, and may NEJITEN live forever!!! ^O^...of course, plus SasuSaku and ShikaIno. Rocks to infinity! ^_______^ Watch out for those! Riz-I bugged me a lot and I feel so guilty! Gah! x)**

**Please read and review, and have an awesome, delectable summer full of treats! (Mine has been endless hot days so farr! Ugh..=d)**

** Chocolate, xYama-chanx**

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** Neji's POV:**

_This moment was turning into rather surreal, fantasizing matter (no, not the type of opinions fairly expected from the minds of the perverted), but did I even dare to perform it? Yes, I did. It took quite a long time to make my sizzling brain realize the risks and loveliness of a first kiss, and with Tenten, for the first time in my entire unique life. She was my core, the reason I ever desired to live in a world contaminated with lies and danger, but besides all of that, a loving, caring human world deemed from the perspective of an innocent, ordinary student such as me._

I felt Tenten's itsy, little body tense at my sudden, unexpected gesture. I just simply closed my eyes, that was all, and expected the worst--or also the best, of what the circumstances of this heavenly hour would bring. The living center of my heart was rocking and beating in an endless infinity of beats and deafening sounds...the much long anticipated signs of a teenage hormone kick-up. I was sweating, I was desperately nervous...I desired everything beautiful and dazzling on the earth for her, and for her alone.

As I leaned my head down, closer to Tenten's warm breath, which now circulated towards my pale angular face in waves, I held her solely in my arms, as a strong, immortal guardian--huh, if that was even possible--to make her comfortable at the very second of my kiss. All I could see beyond my view was black--pitch-black, and the atmosphere of it made me shiver slightly, though I knew that she was there, waiting for me...a little body of white with the shades of impenetrable, luscious mousse-brown hair tied in two dainty buns atop her head...ohh, how majestic this all appeared to me. For a fast makeshift millisecond, my mind seemed to disconnect completely from the nervous spine of my body, and I was merely a prone person about to succumb to the wondrous, awing mysteries of _Love_...

_So I waited..._

_and waited..._

_and patiently longed_ _for_ her...

And then, as quick and swift as a blue sparkling butterfly out to soar the wonders of the thriving earth, I felt it. A pair of warm, supple, wet lips press against my hard ones at first. I regretted pursing my lips too hard in those cruel eras, for they felt so cold and black and obscured with hate, until at just a part of life fell upon them. This was--again, surreal, dazzling, and brilliant, as colorful varieties of fireworks exploded in the vast area of my intelligent head, which was clueless right now, though. It felt unfamiliar, for our mouths gently, slowly molded together, soon finding the place of harmony which lived within every countless individual.

Warmth and blood circulated outwards, creating an unexpected, rather promising experience that I will treasure forever...I wished, maybe, at least, to take a snapshot of this beautiful moment, hide the photo at the back, abandoned space of my worn-down, beige closet, as a nurtured picture. So this was the exciting tension of a first kiss...ahh, how--lovely--it felt.

I opened the vision of my right eye a little bit, and peeked down beneath me. It was rather funny and humorous, because I spotted Tenten fidgeting slightly, her sparkling, puppy eyes closed, her lips suppled up and pressed against mine, and therefore amongst all of it, her feet were shaking, though she never even distributed any signs of discomfort at the kiss. I let out a slight chuckle deep within my throat.

Her dainty, smooth hand never let go of my red, petite rose, and she kept it at her sides, atop the green-grass fabric of her school skirt. Closing my white-lavender orb, her mouth, absorbing-red and pink, brushed softly against mine one more time; fiery and sensational--it started out, then died down to something more gentle, Tenten-like. I thought this kiss would never break, until I felt her once again shift under my pressure.

To my surprise and gladness, she moved slightly away from me, filling in a few more inches between our faces, so as to appear, Tenten's eyes were now about my chin height. She gazed onto the solid, gravel-spread ground, and then raised her head towards me. When our wondering orbs met, we stood there in the light breeze, staring at each other, infusing anticipation, relaxation and happiness within ourselves.

She put both of her hands on the chest of my white, folding polo shirt, and a dainty smile adorned the sides of her lips. I grinned back at her lovingly; surely I clearly could not get enough of Tenten. I laughed slightly when I caught a glimpse of fresh, ruby-red blushes rise on the ridges of her smooth cheeks.

" Neji...," she slipped out, her voice carried on by the wind flowing all around the park. Her fingers tightened around my arm in a good, assuring way. " Thank you...so much...," she whispered, simply touched and--hehe, kind of embarrassed--kiss, which occurred seemingly about 6 minutes ago. Glancing in various directions about the park, I sighed, intoxicated at the recent event. " It was nothing. You know I would always want the best for you," I gushed, yet I sounded as solid and manly...my velvety, deep voice broke the silence. Anyways this was why, and how, Tenten loved me, just as I turned out.

All of it was so great and brilliant to have her return in my life--once a broken, seared piece of ribbon, and now sewn, knit together, and _healed._ I do not want to recall all those moments of when she disappeared--as soon as I thought--and I felt so guilty, scarred, smashed...not even a stethoscope could describe how I felt back then-it was especially horrible.

Tenten grinned brightly back at me, her pearly white teeth glinting in the crimson sunset. " Oh, you know, I never realized you would be the sort of man to offer me a _rose..._I mean, usually in my view the Hyuuga clan seemed so...cold and snappy; simply annoyed at whatever came to them," she sweetly explained, partly uncomfortable at what she just said. I straightened up immediately at the mention of the Hyuugas, and I cleared my throat quickly, which turned out as a low grunt. How dare my family act like that! Sometimes I couldn't quite find out why we were so--cold-natured and heartless at times. I was wondering that for a fairly long sixteen years. " No, Tenten, perhaps so I am different than everyone else," I exclaimed, adding a smirk at the tip of my lips.

As soon as I said it she pursed her lips into a dimpled smile again, and a feeling of relief surged through me. Mixed emotions were clearly dawning upon us again, but now I just realized it was getting late.

Tenten let go of me briefly, and grasped the rose tighter in her small, perfect hand. She glanced upwards quickly at the sky, then at last turned towards me with a delighted expression on her pale, brown face, her brown-chocolate orbs flourishing with sparkle. " See you soon, Neji...," she whispered, grasping my body into a lovely, warm embrace. She buried her face in my arms, and I hugged her back, my rather strong arms wrapped around her teensy form. " Take care, Tenten," I replied, as softly and gentle that I could manage.

I felt a sudden pang of desire as her dainty arms slipped out of my reach. With the rose in good grasp, she threw me one last, adoring gaze, the wind seeming to whisper clues of a nameless love...and she glided roughly across the gray cobbled gravel of the park, making her way out the gate, the green-lush particles of uniform creeping out of view within the iron entrance.

I sighed deeply, inhaling the oxygen pounding all around me. Now I extremely felt light-headed and dazed...my first kiss became the outcome of a great, unique one, and I could simply not wait to see Tenten again. Gripping my red-beige bag atop my shoulder, I walked freely out of Konohagakure Park, a variety of endless questions, possibilities and ideas circulating in the midst of my leeched-out-for-a-while-of-all-knowledge--haha, brain as my long brown hair flew behind me in the fresh dusk breeze.

* * *

_**The next day...**_

** Tenten's POV:  
**

"Gah!" I exclaimed as soon as I heard the instant piercing buzz of the alarm clock. Nooo, please not now...for some reason I was too tired, fatigue overwhelming me suddenly. My body felt so heavy, such as a nail embedded in the soft wall of wood. Against the undeniable fluff and comfort of my queen-size pink-quilted mattress, I definitely did not want to abandon the feeling of this sweet haven. I slammed my pale hand down onto the alarm, finally letting myself go limp once again.

But then, a slight memory built up in the cores of my mind, tugging sharply at one of the corners within my conscience hidden in the darkness. At first, I merely waited for it to kick in, and unfortunately it took up a rather large amount of my time. I pulled off the soft furry covers of my bed, and flung my legs along the side, letting them dangle effortlessly in the space between the oak floors and the frame of my bed. Until I now spotted it creeping out of the shadows inch by inch. My eyes widened suddenly at the realization of yesterday...of it all.

" Neji!!!" I yelled, standing up and holding my sweaty forehead in my palms, keeping it all inside. I breathed rapidly, in and out, in a shameless attempt to calm myself down. Did--you know, the _thing_--really happen yesterday? Many memories floated in the midst of my forever wondering brain, that it blocked the truths of which the kiss was really true...destined to occur. It fascinated me by the dozen. True, how could something so 'majestic' enough happen to me, an innocent, ordinary student? _(Somewhere in the village, Neji jerked up at his own thought being rephrased. xP )_

I shook all the sudden outpour of thoughts, draining them out of my brain. I desperately sought to concentrate on the next approaching school day at Konohagakure Preparatory High School..and what the hey? I immediately mentioned the full official label of my school! Ugh, whatever...there were so much more important matters to attend to--crucial ones at that. I had some free time to linger on about Neji and I later...the very idea of it made me tingle.

So quickly and fast I rolled my hands throughout the bed, fixing it in an orderly position as it was before. I fluffed my lace pillows and throw-ons, flung all my deserted clothes and girly garments into my rather small, crammed beige-pink wardrobe, and ran over to grab my bulky stitched bag. Whew, now I was experiencing the onslaught of what you call a morning rush...I hated days like this, but I had no choice but to resist it.

I heard the faint chirping of blue jays drift through my gossamer-curtained windows, sunlight drafting in and pouring in the white walls of my room. I could tell it was a fresh, sunny perfect day, so I was expectedly looking forward to what it would bring for me. Well, I would never know until I go with the flow. Including all these endless loads of homework and assignments drastically occupied my whole time--I hope Asuma-sensei would deem my hard-worked Language Arts essay 'passable'...anything to obtain an A grade this time! I do not want even to recall what happened last week--it was quite embarrassing of how I literally walked out of Home Economics all messy and splatted with our experiment...curses!

Well, I am in a rather huge school rush, and I hoped that I wouldn't misplace a majority of my folders..._Ugh, great_...

* * *

**And there you have it!! Ohh I apologize if it turned out a bit too short for all your tastes ^_-, I've been busy with a workload of other updates, including 'Could It Be?' and 'Chocolate'. =]. It's really fun and exciting to work on Busted! Thank you everyone for helping me make this obtain a lot of hits! I am so grateful...please review on how it went! And I know, can't wait for a NejiTen next meeting...the kiss turned out fine as well!**

** Okaayy, see you all so soon again, and have a greaat, happy summer! x)**

** Cotton candy, xYama-chanx ^O^  
**


	7. Tenten: Kindness and Anger Management

**Hey guys! xYama-chanx here! Anyways I apologize _completely_ for not updating! I am experiencing right now what all you people call of Writer's Block! Been definitely busy with all other updates to my fics, and darn SCHOOL, so thank you sooo much for waiting! I cannot believe some of you actually have the infinite_ guts_ to wait patiently for so _LONG_! xP So Gomen! :( And here it is, the much-anticipated continuation of Neji and Tenten! n.n =3. **

**Neji: *twitch*** **xYama-chanx, I was_ so_ relevantly close to _killing_ you on the spot--**

**Tenten: *Grabs his arm* Now Neji, try not to get so worked _up_! At least she finally updated Chapter Seven! **

**Yours truly: Neji, I apologize, okay? I had my first _horrid _W.B. experience--**

**Neji: *Glares at me while I desire to escape* You better be. If you update again as _slow_ as now, I will--**

**Tenten:_ NEJI_! Just_ cut it out_! You are _scaring_ the readers away! *Pushes him, irritated* Anyways, please enjoy! She worked_ so_ hard on these stuff! =]**

**Yours truly: Ehe, not really ^_-. Thanks anyways, Tenten. Please review! :D And once again, Gomenasai! :( I am going to update two chapters every weekend now! n.n**

**Neji: *Smiles at me rather darkly* You _should_, xYama-chanx or_ else_...**

**Tenten:_ AGH_, how come you never_ listen_ to me?! *Grabs Neji and pulls him away roughly by the sleeve. Looks back* And please enjoy! Thank you so much! :]**

**Yours truly: Ah, well, let us start. =)**

**Candy, xYama-chanx  
**

**

* * *

**

**Tenten's POV:**

I swiftly ran down the gravel-cemented street, my black ballet flats hopelessly getting_ scratched_ with each thump (and they're _new_!) Clearly, you would ask...why was I in a rush? Because I _misplaced _my folders, after finally discovering them hidden in a cupboard fairly _waayyy_ at the back in my sodden, blue-tiled kitchen--why the heck would it end up there? Ugh, the kiss must've drove me_ crazy_!

Ah! The _kiss_? I completely forgot about that...Neji, h-he _kissed_ me, for the first time, right in the park, _yesterday_. As I thought about that, I kept on rushing towards school, dodging various villagers and passersby along the way, my brown-chocolate bangs bouncing along with my body. For me, it was kind of--completely _different_ for me to remember the realization of that. But now, I couldn't risk any more distractions.

My legs were feeling slightly swollen and red from this morning's _stupid _tripping part. Because of this _bag _on the floor of the bathroom, I just had to slip and hit both of my pale-slimmed legs on the hard yellow cement side of the bathtub, in which resulted of me being unexpectedly_ soaked_. The bang hurt _so _much, the pain was enough for me to bear.

I immediately zoomed past Yamanaka's Flower Shop, the wonderful, dazing scents of the pretty various-colored flowers enveloping me for a moment, until it was swept away by a_ much_ stronger, yummy-salty odor. I scrunched my nose up as I passed Ichiraku's Ramen Shop. Yep, Naruto's favorite haven of certain _disgusting_ brown noodles. How could he even _resist_ the smell of that?

Shaking my head out of all existence, I pushed my legs harder, towards the school before me, as I could just make out the brown-unfurled tip roof of the Preparatory High. Ignoring the searing pain within both of my slender legs, I flailed my arms in the air, shocked and instantly panic-stricken as I spotted the guards, Genma and Izumo, pulling the towering, grey iron gates shut. Gulping, I mustered in all of my courage. I can _not_ be late! And I can't _possibly_ be closed in on! Ugh!

"_WAIT!_" I yelled as loud as I could, my own feminine tone fortunately stopping them in mid-task. Genma, giving me a stare while poking his toothpick around in his lips, spared a glance at me. As I approached them, they crossed their arms on their chests, clearly disappointed with my tardiness. I felt embarrassed myself, actually. How pathetic my morning turned out.

I skidded to a halt, digging my flat heels into the soil as my tresses flew into my brown eyes. Not bothering to observe their expressions, I bowed quickly, my bag bouncing as I hid my face and muttered a truthful apology in their midst. "Gom-_Gomen_! It's just I couldn't find my _project folders_ at home, so I _thought _they were missing, and then I found them, so I ru-"

" Tenten, we know. "

" Oh, thanks so much!" Relieved, I nodded, straightening myself up and dusting off, but then I took a moment to register what he said. My eyes widened in confusion. " Wh-_what_? You know...?" I trailed off, fumbling with my words. What did he mean by that? Gripping my bag tighter in the palm of my hands, I had a feeling this might not pass smoothly.

He smiled crookedly, opening the gate a few inches to let me in. Oh, I'm so _grateful_, yesh. Except then I regretted it as soon as I even set my right foot on what was now called as the campus grounds. " You'll see," Genma gushed, a tone so mysterious it gave me the creeps. Sparing him a swift nod and one to Izumo, I fled, tightening the bag around my shoulder, and not even caring what was around me, I headed to Kakashi-sensei's homeroom: The first subject of the day: Math. Urg!

At least I could escape both of their suspense. What were they even_ thinking_?!

* * *

" And with the outcome of the same signs in an integer equation, you get a positive answer, even if it is a division or multiplication operation. Right...now does anyone _not_ understand the sign rules?" Kakashi lectured freely, indicating the end of his note with a faint_ tap_ on the board with his chalk. Observing the class, clearly no one_ wanted_ to ask a question, one among them being the obnoxious Uzumaki, who was staring at the board with a dumb, confused expression on his face, his eyebrows scrunched up in concentration. Soon enough Kakashi had spotted Naruto's clueless gesture, and sulkily thought better of it not to force him. Clearly his intellect was quite a bit slow to catch up to.

As usual and as speedy as a hawk, Sasuke's built, pale hand shot up in an instant, extracting a few faint gasps from the class. The blonde swiveled his head around to stare at him in disbelief, as Kakashi-sensei remained observing them with such calmness. Suddenly, he burst out into uncontrollable fits of laughter and guffaws, his hand gripping the center of his stomach. Kakashi cocked an eyebrow in weirdness.

The Uchiha threw him a cold piercing glare, confused with his reaction. " What the heck's his _problem_, _huh_?" he thought, appalled by his stupidity. Naruto pointed a direct finger at him in reply, all the while answering between gasps, " You--don't--_*HAHA*_--know the--_*Hehe*_answer!" Sasuke grunted, a light smirk building up on the edge of his lips.

" Now _Naruto_! I will _not_ tolerate this kind of behavior in class!" Kakashi warned him in a deep voice, his back to him as he continued on with another set of following statements on the large, green board. " No need, Kakashi-sensei. He's got it wrong. I was going to ask you a _question_, not that I _don't_ understand the sign rules," Sasuke explained, a bit of triumph gushed with his velvety tone.

Immediately Uzumaki was silenced, again gaping at Sasuke with teary-eyed glares. He started pouting, slamming a hand on the brown desk with such impact, that it startled Sakura herself with a jerk, who was in a position right behind him. Her green orbs bore into Naruto's neck.

" YOU'RE SO UNFAIR! Why is it you_ always_ have to do things _perfect?! Always_, huh?!" he instantly exploded, his loud, destructible voice knocking the wits out of the rest of the students, including Shikamaru, who opened his brown beady eyes in shock, wiping a hand at his mouth and watching. Hinata laid her lavender gaze onto Naruto, her white arms trembling slightly at his outburst, as Neji, his glare yet softened since_ yesterday_, tilted his head in disappointment, pursing his lips.

" _Uzumaki_! Be quiet _this _instant, or it is detention!" Kakashi finally had given up, feeling sorry for him at all of his dilemmas, yet assured that he would attempt to help as soon as he can. He closed the textbook, tossing the chalk into a box atop the red of his desk.

" _Naruto_! Please, can't you just quit comparing yourself with him? Everyone has got their own-", Sakura had started to explain, right until they all heard a terrible, deafening _skiiiiiiiiid_. The Uchiha's smirk went flat, his eyes darting to the dark shadow right in-between the light.

As they averted all their attention to the door, Neji had straightened up, his expression lit with some hope, as a warm feeling once again surged within his veins. There Tenten stood, panting with such intensity that Shino's glasses even bore a slight sparkle. Gripping her bag tight, she bowed her head again, brown buns visible. " _Gomen_, Kakashi-sensei! I--It was just I lost-"

"-No worry about _that_, Tenten...but I _will _speak to you right after Math. Tardiness--tsk, tsk, a stab in the back, eh?" Kakashi-sensei explained swift and serious, a crooked smile evident under his mysterious mask. Her expression suddenly turned relieved, yet neutral at the same time, but nonetheless, her brown eyes sparkled with anticipation.

The petty squabble that has happened previous was soon forgotten, as Naruto fell completely silent, Sakura's very words sinking into his conscience. Well, Tenten _was_ really lucky to have missed the argument, and her distraction has quite settled the room down. The rest of the students watched intently as she made her way quick to her seat behind Ino, fumbling with her books. Neji bowed his head slightly, a shyness he has never experienced before, building up within his personality. W-What_ was_ this?

Tenten slowly continued to shuffle her feet behind her as she struggled to reach her desk, which was _obviously _beside the Uzumaki, whose face was _still _fuming with pure envy that sent a shiver up _everyone's _backs. Gripping them tighter as she laid them on her table with a_ clack_, her brown eyes gazed at Naruto, who hid his face in absolute embarrassment and partly anger. Looking up at Kakashi-sensei before her, Tenten's brown tresses bounced, with a very much concerned expression on her face.

" Kakashi-sensei, what happened to _Naruto?_" she asked, breathless and aghast. He replied with a quick flick of the wrist. " Uhm, I _think_ it's better _not_ to interfere-"...

But being the most caring and sensitive person that Neji had rather missed for such a_ long_ time, Tenten softly put her hand on his shoulder, patting it, as the students' stares pierced her with such curiosity and confusion. The lavender-orbed Neji suddenly took on standing up right behind her, as his instincts have begun to power up and tingle outwards along his pale, solid skin in faint warnings. He_ knew_ what was coming...No, it_ can't _be...the idiot was _surely_ going to-...

Tenten continued to speak with a gentle voice in consoling him, as Kakashi-sensei watched her with such shock, his mask even giving away the _very slightest_ hint his square jaw dropped in a wide 'O'. " Naruto...whatever it was, I think it's_ much_ better, really, if you could lay off Sa-"

The next thing the rest of the class knew, it happened in such a swift, short flash that Sakura and Ino's shrill screams surrounded the room, with the Uchiha knocking over a row of tables just to reach the bunned Tenten, who now lay sprawled on the floor in a rather weird position, her pale cheek and jaw reddening with shades of blue and gray. Worse, her eyelids were closed, and she had shown no sign of a single movement.

" _TENTEN! Out_ of my way..._move_!". The Hyuuga stormed across the sealed beige room, his arms pushing any stray pupils, who have gladly moved backwards to create a path towards her. Behind them, the blonde-haired Uzumaki stood in silence, paralyzed with instant fear and blankness, as he evidently trembled, his fists shaking so intensely that Nara had to grip them very tight in his hands to minimize the effect. " What the heck, _Naruto_?! You should_ really_ learn how to control your _AM_, man!" he muttered under his breath, so tugged at the recent outburst himself his voice shook slightly, as Ino walked over and joined Shikamaru in calming down Naruto, her baby-blue eyes lit with absolute worry as her blonde-ponytail hair glinted beneath the fluorescent lights.

" Uzumaki! Detention _right_ after class for_ two hours_!! I can _NOT_ believe that attitude of yours over such a matter--and you could be possibly subject to _expulsion_ if this occurs again!" Kakashi-sensei let out, dropping his books and exiting the classroom in three long strides to report the immediate occurence to Tsunade-sama. " I-I_ didn't_ mean..." Naruto trailed off, his tone deep and tight, as if he desired to_ murder_ someone.

Sasuke had rushed in-between the pool of gathering people as they murmured in hushed tones about Tenten's ordeal, Neji now holding her in his arms ever so gently as if she was a delicate, porcelain doll, prepared to crack and shatter with the little-est contact. Hinata wound her skinny white arms around her neck, supporting Tenten's crook of the back with a firm yet concise grip. Her lavender orbs watched, overflowing with worry and tears.

" Tenten, k-keep yourself t-together!" Hinata squealed, closing her eyes as she pursed her lips in a slight frown, placing her raven-haired head on her best friend's shoulder. Sakura, on the other hand, was busy and struggling with preparing a hand-made neck support out of the remaining pieces of her ruined 9th Grade textbook from last year. With extraordinary strength and skill, she bent the book covers into shape, kneading a thin but hard string through holes that were now pierced within them.

All she was concerned about was Tenten's very condition, her green-emerald eyes glimmering with concentration and worry as her arms worked very quick. The Uchiha knelt down beside Hyuuga, who was brushing her chocolate-brown bangs out of her forehead. " Tenten, _you_--I can't _believe_...", pressing his lips together, he fell silent in thought, his stare on her pretty framed face.

" I'm _so_ sorry, Neji, really--What a complete _monster_ I was to trigger Naruto's _AM_-"

" Get_ out_ of here, Sasuke," Neji snarled back, not even sparing a look at him.

" Come _on,_ you knew it was an accide-", the Uchiha's velvety tone intruded.

" I said _SCRAM_! Now!". The crowd jumped at his shout, as Sasuke flinched back at his friend's reaction, pain screwed in his expression._ So_, according to everyone else and the obvious position between them, the Hyuuga _did_ love Tenten. Very dearly. Staring at Neji's face with hurt and a slight rage, he turned his head swiftly, keeping his eye contact from the surrounding students as he fled out the door as only a single flash of navy blue and white.

As soon as Sasuke was out of sight, Neji sighed openly, a soft, secure hand remaining to stroke Tenten's arm. Sakura's fingers wove in and out through the thick rope, ensuring that it was tight and completely safe to use as the emergency base. But, as she was tending to her unconscious brown-haired best friend, her mind very quickly strayed to the Uchiha, who had left in such an offended state she was just _dying_ to know if he was okay, right at that moment.

As for Neji--how possibly _mean_ that was. The Haruno's emerald-green eyes glimmered gently with pity and sorrow, fixed upon the Hyuuga's pale face, which was framed with the brown strands of hair cascading past his shoulders. Sakura _planned_ to have a talk with him. That is, shortly after this shocking event was _over_ with. The disastrous event now had each and every person in the room terrified beyond infinity, with Tenten's beloved friends: Ino, Hinata, Sakura, Shikamaru...almost a majority of them to be exact due to Tenten's utmost kindness, worried and scared than they have _ever_ imagined...

...and it was all because of _her_. The girl whom they adored_ deeply_ within their hearts. Especially Hyuuga Neji.

* * *

** I'm done! I'm sorry it was so short....AND THAT I UPDATED IT FOUR MONTHS LATE!! I'm sooo sorry, Gomen, gomen, gomen! Please don't get mad at me...but I'm sure Neji is creeping right behind me with a knife right now o-O *shudder* except Tenten is ridiculously attempting to stop him. It's because of freaking difficult SCHOOL DX (UGH) I could not concentrate--at ALL, on my stories! But let this please slip as an early Christmas present--along with Chapter Eight very soon!! ^_^ I know you must be all annoyed by now at my excuses, but really, pweasse don't hate me....I tried my best with this chapter--and made NejiTen my central focus couple :D. **

** If you have any suggestions on other couples you may like included in the fic, feel free to message me and I would gladly make them appear :). I hope Neji's happyyy with this one! (I mean, he CARES for her, hehehe x33..He must _love_ it!) **

**And since it is the holiday break (finallyy! I have been impatient for so lonng, and very happyy to be free from the homework thrown our way and forced against our wills xD), expect almost three updates or two to my stories. Thank you so much, once again, for supporting me! Without your reviews and kindness my stories would never have been such a hit! ^_^ =]]**

**Merry Christmas and cookies!!, xYama-chanx  
**


	8. Neji and Tenten

**OH MY GOD. I've just been hit with a spawn of the threat archer. I AM SO SORRYYYYYYYY for not updating for TWO years! _TWO YEARS_! Seriously, I all think this is just something out of the blue but no! I can't believe I even abandoned this story and put it on hiatus for _wayyyy too long_, in my opinion! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! **

**Hit me now if you want. Do whatever you want with me. Kick me, bash me in the side, yadda yadda yadda.**

**I REALLY wanted to make this chapter up for all of my brilliant readers who stuck by me at every moment as I clicked away on my keyboard, wracking my brains for a decent plot for this story that has become one of my _number one_ hits, and although I was certain at some point I would really give up because of _extreme writer's block_ (which I HATED with my guts), I kept on going. And it wouldn't even be a hit without you!**

**YES, YOU. *stares straight on in your eyes* Plus, NejiTen is just...it blows my mind as much as SasuSaku and the rest of the couples, so heree it is! I hope you enjoy the outcome of my one-hour efforts! x3 I love them still, and I will always love _Naruto_. **

**YAY! So enjoy! And...if you're now lost in the whole twisted plot and forgot where they left off (like me. I completely FORGOT where all of my chapter's ideas came from too Dx), feel free to read from Chapter 1, or from a chapter you find most comfortable to start off with :))  
**

**-Yama-chan**

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**Tenten's POV:**

I coughed. I tried to turn over on my right side, but a sharp, seething pain instantly shot up from the small of my back to the crook of my neck, which turned out to be stiff, because I couldn't feel my _own_ movement regardless of my trying to look towards my left side. _Geez, it hurts! _I groaned, suddenly finding myself extremely tired for _no_ reason...if there was one in the first place. But the questions circulating through my brain were: where was I? Where_ am_ I? _What happened to me_? _Where are the others_? HOW did I get my own determined self in this mess? And...where's Neji?

The annoying lumps that were poking my back in different places didn't need to provide me with the gleaming answer to question two.

_Great, just great. I_ must_ be in the hospital at the moment._ Where else would I get a whiff of a sour, tangy odor floating in the air which patients breathe, tinged with alcohol and medicine? I shuddered, and finally managed to open my eyes. Also...oh no, how _long_ have I been here?

I hissed. _Agh, it was bright_. The yellow fluorescent lights above me hammered my vision while the disturbing green and beige shades of the walls swam in front of me. I struggled to move my arms, and, really relieved, I tell you, I smiled. No traumatizing needles pierced my skin. Good, because I hated with _all_ my guts the sensation of dextrose flowing through an IV into your veins! It made me very,_ very_ sick.

From a distance, I heard the chatter of the hospital administration and staff going about their business with the patients they needed to attend to, while footsteps and the sounds of crinkling paper reached my ears. _Ugh._ How can Sakura even stand working a part-time job as an assistant nurse here? And she's just seventeen years old! _Dang,_ I thought. She must have some deep nerve, but that was one of the characteristics I admired about one of my best friends. She was always _really_ nice to me and everybody else (although Naruto might be an exception, in my opinion), and brought people up first before herself, no matter how hard it was._ Why can't I be like that, even if I try?_

Sighing, I carefully pushed myself up-_whoa there, Tenten, don't overdo yourself_-and shrugging off the faint prickly pain I felt in my shoulders, I observed the hospital room I was confined in, my gaze absorbing everything for the sake of nothing to do. My room was mostly vacant except for the typical convenience cabinet, two wooden chairs in one corner and the old lamp suspended above me, while a faint breeze flew in and rustled the transparent curtains through an open glass window. For some reason, this section of the hospital seemed deserted, and the silence was becoming _scary_ now. Was I by myself, as well? An air of disappointment hung like a dark gray cloud around my head. Did I...in fact,_ do_ something that scared everyone off? I also _couldn't_ believe nobody even bothered to visit me-

"Hisagia Tenten?"

My head whipped around at the monotone voice, and I cringed slightly as a buzzing pain hovering around my neck disappeared as fast as it came. "Oh, _itai_," I muttered to myself. "Ah, yes, I'm her. Are you...are you my doctor?", I added carefully, slowly taking in the pale man's features. Pursing my lips, I made a mental note to myself to not stare directly at him-or very much make eye contact. His dark dress shoes were coated in sheets of grime (I wonder where he traveled), and the dirty-white lab coat draped on his body highlighted his...nicely built body frame. My senses tingled along with my instincts. Why did he resemble someone _so_ familiar? I couldn't quite put my finger on _who_ it was, though.

Making sure he didn't notice my abrupt change in moods-right now I was uncomfortable sitting there right in front of this man, I glanced at the little shot of dark-brown hair sticking out from underneath his surgeon cap. _Uhhhh,_ this caught me off guard. Who would wear such an icky thing if they were a doctor? I bit my lip, angling my head away from him a little bit. "Who are you?" I asked, trying not to panic in front of this guy._ I won't even let him touch me! If he does something fishy, I'll-_

"Tenten? Tenten, do you not recognize me at all in this?" he whispered urgently while waving his hands in the air, and then my brain exploded into a chorus of hallelujahs. _That voice...it's..._

My mouth parted but no words came out. _Tenten, get a grip! _I was still in what you would call something like catatonic shock, if you ask me.

Finally my heart found my throat and together they created my thoughts. "N-Neji? Is that you?" I replied, still a little bit cautious. If he really was the Hyuuga I've come to love (mind you, there's a _long story_ behind us being together at last-I know, it's like a scene out of some kind of awesome Japanese drama), he would have hugged me right then and there, hell, maybe even _kissed_ me, but...no. And I was angry now.

"Yes it's me! Why are you still so-"

"Wait a second! Why are you dressed like _that_?" I intervened, my voice strained as I folded my arms: an indication that I was pissed._ If he was here in the vicinity, why didn't he instead visit me in his own usual Hyuuga form and _not_ be in disguise? I'm his girlfriend! Nice 'doctor'...including that funny-looking surgeon cap that squished his hair altogether in one mass of brown it looked like as if he had an enormous tumor growing out of his highly intelligent brain.  
_

Neji, his face hilariously glum, looked down at his attire, then glanced at me, finally clashing with my gaze._ Oh GOD_. "Well?" I waited for an answer, and _no way_ was I going to leave this bed until he gave me a good enough reason.

"I..." he stared at me, locking myself within his penetrating gaze of silver. Well, it's true I couldn't hold it any longer, and my expression softened while butterflies clumped in flying masses inside my stomach. Oh my god, those _eyes_...

I let my wall of temporary protection crumble down and I, without even _thinking_, jumped off my bed. Although shocking amounts of pain that hurt like heck sizzled in the injured areas of my body (oh, I was still in uniform), I wobbled my way over to Neji, hesitant to meet his own eyes. My ragged breathing between us made the atmosphere even more tense, and I even tried to look up without too much muscle moveme-

"AH! Ow, oh, itai, itai...," I whimpered, my hands flying to the brace around my neck, which was starting to piss me off. You get the point: I couldn't even move or look where and how I wanted to with this darned thing! Neji's arms pulled me in and I shut up, electricity breaking out across my pale skin again. I mean-he was massaging my_ back_! OH my go-

The small breeze rustled my navy pleated skirt beneath the unsuitable hospital gown I wore. Sneaking a glance up at him, my lips opened in awe as I realized that his surgeon cap had fallen off from the impact of the hug, but now those brown, completely recognizable, long locks of hair cascaded past his shoulders and tickled the crown of my forehead. He-His features were so-I found it hard to swallow the fact that Neji was _extremely_ good-looking. _How come I never noticed that? Gah, Tenten, you are SO-_

"Tenten, I-I'm sorry." _  
_

"For what?" I gently replied, but I was confused. Inhaling the scent, the odor, the smells of Hyuuga Neji..._my boyfriend_-_oh yeah...he was _finally_ my boyfriend-_I remembered vividly, and so I practically choked with happiness as the warmest flashbacks of our good times and, I tell you, difficult times together crashed over my conscience in a slur of waves. _Don't do that here, crybaby!_

His grip on me tightened slightly and I froze, my covered chest heaving up and down as I struggled to move my face up and out from between the edge of his forearm. _And that was a superbly _buff_ forearm, eh? _

_Shut UP. I don't even have an inner! Wha-what the _hell_ are you doing in my head?  
_

_You just didn't consider I existed, but now here I am. Come on, it's not like Sakura's the only one who has herself to keep in check. And ooh, what's this? You and _Hyuuga Neji_ are...?  
_

_Why you-_

"For hurting you." My brown eyebrows furrowed together, genuinely not knowing what he was talking about. I stared at him intently, and the very intensity of his gaze managed to heat up my cheeks. _I-I'm blushing!_ I clenched and unclenched my fists, nervous. Man, I hope he doesn't notice!

"W-what 'hurting me'? I-I don't know what you're-"

"_No_, Tenten. You see..." Neji's index finger made contact with my petite chin as he lifted my face up to look at him. And I swear, that place he touched lit up and exploded! Oh my god. A small ripple of something between excitement and nervousness soared up my back_ again_, too. Why was I feeling this way? Actually, I _am_ sick, so...yeah! Right?

Anyway, I attempted to focus on his gaze, and I could tell that this was a serious matter (_those silver-lavender orbs were..._), so I hardened up a bit just for this. _Okay, Tenten you had to get yourself together here!_

Neji spoke, and believe me, I honestly tried to keep my vision on him only, but I kept on straying to the area surrounding us by the doorway. I mean, was anybody else here?_ Or was it only the two of us.._.alone_?_ My heart thudded and vibrated in my chest as I bit back the urge to squeal. W-Who knows what will happen-

"Naruto put you in the hospital." His deep velvet voice rang in my ears as I struggled to grasp the fact that indeed, the stupid, obnoxious, clueless blonde knocked me out. I stuttered back, looking for proper words. "Naruto? But when? _Why_? I...I don't remember a thing!" Neji shook his head, and I mentally kicked myself in the head as I saw the beautiful crook of his neck move back and forth._ AH, Hyuuga, dang it, cover that area or else-!_

"Let me refresh your memory." Nothing but the sound of my aching heart beating was even_ audible_ in my ears as soon as he entwined his strong hands tightly within my own slender ones. I could now feel beads of sweat forming in trickles along my forehead covered with my layers of brown bangs, because he was _holding my hands_! _What do you think that means? _Now I found it really difficult to breathe properly too! Gosh! I shyly observed his flawless Hyuuga lips, and I _almost_-JUST ALMOST-lost myself. _Gah!_

"Okay, Tenten. You...were late for class yesterday morning. And you...you barged in on a huge conflict between Naruto and Uchiha-an idiotic conflict, if you ask me-but do you remember that Naruto has-anger management issues?" he explained, his tone low and calm at the same time and I swooned! Shaking the thought out of my mind, I nodded subtly, taking in what he had just said. _A conflict? And oh yeah, AM. The fact that Uzumaki possessed the very trait scared us a LOT. Wait..._who_ triggered his AM...? _My eyes widening, a realization hit me spot on and I gasped softly, squeezing Neji's hand a little bit tighter. _Oh! I recall_ actually_ comforting Naruto after his sudden outburst of temper-w-who can comfort him?-and the only thing I remember was a sensation of being...punched, _hard_, and my body soaring through the air until nothing but blackness met me._ My action, of course, worried him, haha.

"What's wrong? Tenten-," his voice grew louder and more ominous now, and I gave him a small grin. His face scrunched up, clearly confused, and I tried not to laugh._ He looked so cute and adorable and funny with that expression!_

_Keep away from my head. No WAY am I going to possibly let you screw this up! _

_Tenten, you _do_ need to learn how to accept your feelings and...show them. Like right now. It's the perfect moment to do hi-  
_

_N-NO! No! Now scram or else I'll make you! _

_Whoa, okay, backing off. Sorry, no need to spaz._

"No, it's okay. I-I think I remember now, too," I told him, and, the Hyuuga's eyes searching mine, he smirked as soon as he detected my glassy gaze. _Gawsh, no, no, no. Please don't-_

"What's so interesting, Tenten?" he asked me, sounding overly amused, and I noticed instantly that he'd pulled me closer to him now, so I could almost practically feel Neji's... _body heat_ radiating off of him! _Oh my god! _I stumbled over my words, and again, I mentally beat myself up because my stuttering was a _dead giveaway_!

"Uh...n-nothing?" I squeaked, cringing at my _unusually_ high-pitched tone. I stole a look at him, and that SMIRK definitely flipped my goodwill upside down! Neji's head, to my utter surprise, dipped down towards mine, and his lavender orbs scanned half of my frozen face. My stomach writhing, I was positive half of me wanted to just_ run away and hide_, while the other actually _looked forward_ to what he was gonna do! My conscience fighting over the other, I suppressed my breath, trying not to make him hear it _because it was ragged_!

His perfect nose now inches closer to my own, I swore red shades just broke out across the bridge of my nose like fire too, so I cursed. _Oh my f-_

"What's this? You're blushing." That smirk occupying Neji's mouth made me want to smack it right off of him due to the fact he had no idea how _insane_ it was driving me!I raced to whip up an excuse, although I was sure it probably sucked.

"No, it's just...how can you even stand doing _this_-" I gestured towards our positions wildly as he scrutinized my face,"-while I have a big, fat, _ugly_ brace around my neck? Can't you stand that? I bet you I look freaking ugly right now-_"_

Thus, that was the stupidly_ WORST_ excuse I have ever said, because now...Neji's lips crashed onto me and I jolted, seriously surprised. _H-He...was_ kissing_ me again! _Sizzling shots of charge circulated outwards along my body and I felt myself involuntarily wrap may arms around his neck. This was-

He planted these kisses I've never felt before all along the crook of my jawline and the tips of my lips (OH MY GOD-but I am _so_ thankful my neck was covered) and I held back a_ large_ squeal. The places where his lips touched me merely burned. Smiling, I kissed him back, and I'm _really_ embarrassed to mention that our drive simply continued on like this for around_ 2 minutes_!

He finally broke away from me, and, both of us short of breath, we rapidly panted for air as he rested his forehead against mine. I grinned, mad blushes upon the whole of my face now. He spoke again, and that started to send a ripple of happiness through my senses.

His gaze penetrated mine. _What the frick, good thing this corridor was abandoned. If anybody spotted us...making out...!_ "Don't...you..._ever_ say you're ugly again. Or else I'll kill you." He chuckled as I held on to his neck, suddenly feeling my movement magnetized towards Neji's face again. _No, don't do this-! _My lips prickled as I brushed his mouth lightly-_whoaa_-, until another familiar voice drifted towards us.

Turning our heads around, I squinted in the distance as I spotted a feminine figure-a girl, running along the tiles of the deserted section of the hospital. The cherry-pink hair bounced in sync with her and I grinned widely again, knowing who it was.

"Sakura! What are you doing here?" I quickly unlatched my arms off Neji's grasp (_did she see? Oh no!_) and jogged towards her, surprised and happy. As she wound her arms around me and squeezed tight, (_"Tenten oh my god! You're okay! I-I'm so glad!")_ I wondered what she had to say, too.

* * *

**Donee! Yayy, sorryyy for the wait once again! I hope this chapter was okay, because I'm in the middle of a huge, stupid project and I really don't want to do itt! 3 Love!**

**Please review, and expect an update soon!**

**xYama-chanx**


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